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Sheffield City Council has confirmed it is to look for new architects and designs for its stalled retail quarter scheme

The designs for the 80,000m² flagship retail development were originally drawn up by a host of architects including Foreign Office, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, BDP, Pick Everard, Stiff and Trevillion, ACME, Hawkins\Brown and O’Donnell and Tuomey.

But the council has confirmed that it will not be using the designs drawn up for the Sevenstones scheme and is planning to hunt for new architects.

A new masterplan for the shopping mall, which has effectively been on hold since 2009, is being drawn up by BDP.

The move comes as the council announced it had sign-off to purchase the £55million of property needed to develop the retail area. Sited between The Moor, Wellington Street, and Barker’s Pool, most of these buildings have been subject to compulsory purchase orders for several years.

Councillor Ben Curran, the council’s cabinet member for finance and resources said: ‘The New Retail Quarter is a key part of our vision to give Sheffield a high-class retail offer that can compete with Manchester, Leeds and Nottingham.

‘This is a significant investment and emphasises the council’s determination to enable the New Retail Quarter to move forward.’

Richard Wright, executive director of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry added: ‘The chamber is absolutely delighted to see such a positive move on this project. It is a critical development for the city and we applaud the extremely positive message this sends and the ambitious timescale it lays out.

‘We are hoping to see something distinctive, world leading and fit for purpose in 15 years ahead.’

Previous story (AJ 31.05.14)

Sheffield city centre fund launches to revive New Retail Quarter site

Sheffield City Council has launched a new investment fund which could act as a lifeline for the city’s long-awaited retail quarter scheme

Back in October, the authority vowed to take a lead on the failed Sevenstones city centre retail plans, which hit the rocks after developer Hammerson’s decision to pull out last summer.

The site of the £400 million project between Barker’s Pool, The Moor and Wellington Street is now being billed as the New Retail Quarter, and is set to be the first to benefit from the fund.

This cash will pave the way for ‘collaboration with new development and investment partners’; with the council working with the private sector to regenerate the city centre.

Leigh Bramall, cabinet member for business, skills and development at Sheffield City Council, said: ‘We are taking a new approach to the centre. We are setting up the fund to speed up the delivery of key projects. Project number one will be the New Retail Quarter.’

‘The market has moved, retail has changed, and we intend to capitalise on this and deliver the promised outcome for the centre. This is about achieving the same results with a different approach.

The original 80,000m² Sevenstones project featured buildings by Foreign Office Architects, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, BDP, Pick Everard, Stiff + Trevillion, ACME, Hawkins\Brown and O’Donnell + Tuomey. But the shopping mall was hit by a number of setbacks and, despite attempts to revive the project, the scheme has effectively been on hold since 2009.

The fund, which will officially launch this summer, will initially be wholly owned by the council, who will inject into it the land holdings it controls and the tax incremental finance required for vital infrastructure. It is on the hunt for development and investment partners to deliver the new retail quarter.

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